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Wisdom for Your Future: How to Make God-Led Decisions with Confidence · Fostering Faith

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  Welcome back to Fostering Faith. I'm going to
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  be your host Tracy and we are in the month of
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  June. And so it is the month of wisdom and we
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  are in the book of Proverbs. And so wisdom for
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  your future is the episode that we're going to
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  be talking about today. And there is truth woven
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  all throughout Proverbs and it's like this. Your
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  future is not built in your future. It builds
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  in the directions and decisions today. And so
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  many people think destiny is something that just
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  happens. One day you wake up and magically you
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  become a person that God designed. But scripture
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  teaches us the opposite. Wisdom today shapes
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  blessings tomorrow. Discipline today shapes freedom
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  tomorrow. And boundaries today shape your peace
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  tomorrow. And so wise choices today shape strong
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  relationships tomorrow. And obedience today shapes
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  purpose tomorrow. Future isn't mysterious. It's
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  formed. And God cares about your future so much
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  that He gave you an entire book. called Proverbs,
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  filled with warning signs, guardrails, promises,
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  and principles to keep your life aligned with
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  His best. Not your best, but His best. In this
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  final episode of June, I want to talk about everything
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  that we've learned, wisdom, decisions, friendship,
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  speech, throughout life and pointing it forward.
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  Because God has a future for you, but wisdom
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  is how you walk in it. And so God has a plan
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  for your future, but You have a part to do, too.
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  And so our verse of the year is Jeremiah 29 11.
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  I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper
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  you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope
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  in the future. God is good. God's plan is intentional.
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  God's plan is protective and God's plan is purposeful.
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  But Proverbs teaches us again. And so our choices
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  can align with God's plan or fight against it.
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  God doesn't force wisdom. You choose it. Your
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  future is built through obedience, character,
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  humility, teachability, integrity, stewardship,
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  discernment, courage. People pray for God to
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  open up doors, but God cares that you live and
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  have wisdom to walk through them. And so the
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  future belongs to the wise and not the careless.
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  Proverbs paints two paths, the wise path that
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  we've talked about before, stable, peaceful,
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  and blessed. This path is walked by people who
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  think long -term, value self -control, reject
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  foolishness, keep God first, build strong habits,
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  stay humble, stay teachable, walk in integrity,
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  and take counsel seriously, and steward every
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  opportunity. Proverbs 3, 5 through 6 says, trust
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  in the Lord with all your heart. all your ways
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  acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.
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  Wisdom straightens out your life. That would
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  be crooked. And so the foolish path is that real
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  wide road that we've talked about before. It's
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  chaotic, it's painful, and it's unsainable. This
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  path is walked by people who follow their emotions,
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  ignore warning signs, refuse correction, chase
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  shortcuts, blame others, avoid discipline, and
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  lack consistency. Proverbs is clear. The wise
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  inherit honor, but fools get disgraced. In Proverbs
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  3 .35, foolishness steals futures, but wisdom
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  secures them. And the future is built on the
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  habits you practice now. Your life is moving
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  in the direction of your daily habits, not your
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  dreams, not your intentions, not your potential,
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  not your prayers, though prayer fuels it. Your
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  habits do. If you want wisdom for your future,
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  begin with daily wisdom rhythms by reading your
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  scripture, choosing wise influences, guarding
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  your heart, practicing gratitude, speaking life,
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  listening to godly counsel, obeying quickly and
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  praying consistently, avoiding places of temptation
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  and protecting your time. Habits shape your character
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  and character shapes your destiny. And so wisdom
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  leads you to the right people and places and
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  purposes. A wise life is never accidental. When
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  you walk in wisdom, God directs your steps. He
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  aligns your opportunities. He highlights the
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  right people. He closes doors that would harm
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  you. He protects you from the wrong environments.
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  He brings you mentors, strengthens your calling,
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  and connects you to your purpose. Proverbs 16,
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  9 says, establishes their steps. Wisdom puts
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  you in the path where God can establish your
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  steps. The future becomes clear whenever you
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  know what you avoid. Proverb isn't just full
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  of do this, it's full of don't do that. Wisdom
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  requires courage to avoid unhealthy relationships,
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  foolish environments, tempting situations, gossip
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  circles, financial foolishness, prideful mindsets,
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  shortcuts that bypass character, emotional reactions,
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  laziness and compromise. Your future is protected
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  by the things that you walk away from, not just
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  as much as the things that you walk into. Your
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  future needs the wise you, not the impulsive
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  you. Everyone has two versions of themselves,
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  the wise version and the impulsive version. The
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  wise version is patient, prayerful, steady, humble.
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  built on word, guided by the spirit, slow to
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  speak, and quick to listen. The impulsive version
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  is emotional, reactive, inconsistent, unfiltered,
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  easily influenced, and easily discouraged. Your
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  future flourishes when the whys lead you. And
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  the future requires humility and teachability.
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  And we've said this over and over again. The
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  only pie that I want you to eat is the pie, a
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  humble pie. So humility and teachability in Proverbs
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  12 -15, the way the fool seems right to them,
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  but the wise listen to their advice. Fools want
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  to be right and the wise want to grow. Fools
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  protect their ego and the wise protect their
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  future. Teachability is one of the most powerful
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  forms of wisdom. When you let mentors pass your
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  scripture and the Holy Spirit correct you, you
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  become unstoppable. So the future requires you
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  to be humble and teachable. Are you humble? Are
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  you teachable? Those are things that you need
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  to take God. Hey, am I teachable? Am I easily
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  to correct or am I on guard? Do I have humility?
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  Take that to Him. He will ask you. Ask Him anything.
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  He knows what's in your heart. He knows what
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  you're trying to hide. Wisdom makes you someone
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  God can trust with more. God multiplies what
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  you steward wisely. Wisdom leads to promotion,
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  leads to influence. leads to ministry opportunities,
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  healthy relationships, leadership, doors opening.
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  It leads to competence and stability. People
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  pray for more, but God gives more to people who
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  can handle it wisely, little wisely. And so I
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  often tell the kids, and so God cannot trust
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  you with more if you can't handle little. He's
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  not going to give you much if you're not being
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  a good steward over what he's given you. And
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  so if you have little podcast and you don't put
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  any time and effort into it and doing all the
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  things. Why would he give you a large platform?
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  No. Why would he give you an auditorium full
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  of people if you can't counsel the two that show
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  up to class? So you're going to, you have to
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  be wise of what he's given you. And so Proverbs
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  22 and 29 says, Do you see someone skilled in
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  their work? They will stand before kings. Wisdom
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  elevates you without self -promotion. He's your
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  best PR. He knows what you can handle. He knows
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  what you can't. And so I pray, absolutely, do
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  I want this podcast to grow? Do I want it to
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  flourish? But then again, do I want to have to
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  answer and do all the things required yet? Am
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  I there yet? Am I in that maturity level? Am
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  I at that spiritual level? Do I have that capacity
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  with work and being a mom and being a wife? Do
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  I have that capacity on my note? Absolutely not.
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  He's going to have to make a way for me to be
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  able to handle all the things that he would want
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  me to do. And we are just walking in obedience
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  and doing what we feel like we're supposed to
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  be doing. And so are we preaching and teaching
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  millions of people? No. Has he given us tens
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  of hundreds of thousands of people that listen
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  and listen to our prayers and stuff like that?
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  Yes, he does, but it's what I can handle and
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  so he's only gonna give me what I can handle.
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  He's not gonna put a hundred people on my schedule
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  every day. I can't see that many people, but
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  he can give me 30 and I can be a great steward
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  to those 30 people, those 20 people, those 25
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  people, those 8, those 10, whatever he does.
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  He can give me the kids in my classroom that
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  I can handle. He's gonna give me whatever I need,
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  the money, the finances, because he knows that
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  he can trust me. with what he's given me so far.
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  So let me give her a little bit. Let me give
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  them a little bit more, a little bit more, because
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  he knows what he's taught us. He knows what he
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  has planned for us. And so until we get that
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  lesson right, until we are having that teachability
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  moment, until we're humble, until we know that,
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  oh, yes, absolutely. This is how I would steward
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  this. This is how I would do this. He's not going
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  to give you much if you're not doing good with
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  the little that you already have. And so we hope
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  that you guys are aligning with these workbooks
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  on our Fostering Faith Media website. And so
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  as we go into this year, we thought that would
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  be a great extension off and so we guys can print
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  things out. I know that people love to write
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  and keep things to look back on. And so just
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  reflection questions and going through the workbooks
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  together. And so what is the area in my future
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  do I need God's wisdom in right now? And so,
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  what are the areas? Is it friendships? Is it
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  relationships? Is it school decisions? Is it
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  career direction? Is it your calling? Is it your
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  spiritual growth? Is it boundaries? Is it emotional
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  health? Is it your long -term goals? Sit with
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  God and let Him teach you what you are needing.
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  And if it's all those areas, write them all down.
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  Take them to God. There's nothing that He cannot
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  handle. There's not a big list or a small list.
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  If it's just one, great. If it's your finances,
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  are you tithing? Are you walking in the calling
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  that He has you in? Where are you at with your
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  spiritual growth? What area do you need God's
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  wisdom in right now? I would take all those.
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  I would take, I need wisdom in every one of those.
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  And so sitting with Him and asking Him those
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  questions, there's nothing, there's no question
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  that is salate to God. And so what one future
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  -focused decision will you make this week in
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  wisdom, something that your future self will
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  thank you for? Is it to begin a discipline? Is
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  it to end in habit? Is it to set a boundary?
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  To create a budget? Establish a Bible routine?
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  Is it to commit to a godly friendship? Is it
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  to say no to distraction? Is it to start a long
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  -term plan? Is it to remove yourself from toxic
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  relationships or influences? And so wisdom is
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  an investment that always pays dividends. And
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  so think about that this week. What are the areas
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  before we go into the month of July? And as we
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  go into the month of July, as it is my husband's
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  favorite month, it is his birth month, but it
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  is his favorite holiday, which is 4th of July.
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  And so we are talking about freedom and healing.
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  And so we hope that you guys tune in next month
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  as we are going to be walking in freedom and
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  healing. for the month of July. And so as we
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  end this week and end this month, we would love
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  to pray for you guys. If this message inspired
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  you, encouraged you, share it with a friend,
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  share it on social media, write a comment, help
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  our podcast grow, and allow God to work in our
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  lives together as we foster our faith together.
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  So we would love to pray for you. Dear Heavenly
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  Father, thank you so much for wisdom. Thank you
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  so much for our future. Thank you so much for
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  Jeremiah 29, 11. Thank you that you are guiding
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  my steps. Thank you that you are guiding our
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  choices. Thank you that you protect our path.
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  Thank you that you're giving... us courage to
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  walk away from foolishness. Thank you that you're
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  giving us a strength to walk towards our purpose.
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  Thank you that you are making us wise. Thank
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  you that you're making us study. Thank you that
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  you are giving us humility and that we are teachable.
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  Thank you that you have a future for us. Thank
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  you that you've prepared a way for us. Thank
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  you for all that you do. In Jesus name I pray.
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  Amen and amen. We hope that this message encouraged
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  you guys. Stay tuned for July in freedom and
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  healing. We love you guys. Stay tuned.